What To Do Before Fermenting At Home

Friday, July 6th, 2018

“This seems risky. There are so many things that could go wrong. Why should I make fermented food, rather than just buying it at the store?”

Kimchi, sauerkraut, miso…These are just a few of the easy-to-make, tasty fermented foods that contain probiotics. But one of the biggest debates is which approach to fermentation is the best?

Before fermenting at home, it is absolutely vital that you create and organize a clean fermenting environment. In order to ensure a safe, healthy practice, your fermentation station has to be top priority!

Read on to learn how easy it is to start fermenting safely at home.

WHAT THE CROCK?

Crocks are used to help prevent mold and lactic acid producing bacteria. That said, it doesn’t have to be a crock—it could also be a glass container like a mason jar. Whatever you end up using, make sure it has straight sides with limited possibility for oxygen.

When it comes to fermenting, oxygen is the well-known enemy. In an aerobic (oxygen) environment, yeasts can oxidize to form acetic acids—the same thing as vinegar. Sure, vinegar is a fermented product, but that’s not what we’re trying to make here. Also, if oxygen is present, candida-preventing yeasts—such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and all the gut-friendly probiotic bacteria—cannot prosper. If the oxygen is eliminated, these beneficial bacteria and yeasts can help clear your gut of harmful bacteria.

Don’t worry; owning a super fancy, expensive jar is not required. However, if you do use a mason jar or alternative option, setting up the jar properly according to your ferment is very important.

AIRLOCKS

100% airtight jars can be harmful, as CO2 forms during the gaseous stage of fermentation.

This can cause your vessel to explode!

CO2 gasses must have a way to escape. If you feel comfortable setting up mason jars and making alterations, go for it! Otherwise, consider buying a high-end crock or jar with airlock sealing that can release the bi-product of fermentation.

The best jars have rubber gaskets, and my personal favorites have airlocks. This prevents mold spores from inoculating the ferment. I recommend spending more money on jars that will save you time and energy, while also ensuring the quality of your ferments! If you’re an avid fermenter, it’s worth it.

OTHER KEY ITEMS YOU’LL NEED

Beyond the very necessary crock or storage item, there are several other tools necessary to create a safe, healthy, sanitary, and proficient fermenting space.

Knives: You’ll want a large, quality knife able to cut through thick foods such as cabbage. If you have a dull knife, sharpen it! If you don’t own a sturdy knife, invest in one. It could last you a lifetime and is totally worth the purchase! You also will want to have a small, quality paring knife for cutting smaller items.

Cutting board: Plastic or wood is fine. If your wooden cutting board has black spots of mold on it, please throw it out and get a new one. We don’t want mold spores ending up in your ferment.

Weights: Using anything from pickling pebbles to glazed ceramic weights helps keep your ferments compact inside your jar. I personally don’t recommend using rocks as weights because I’ve just had it fail too many times.

Rolling Pin: You can use a rolling pin as a tamper for pushing your fermented goods into your crock. Or you can buy a dedicated tamper, made specifically for this purpose.

A rubber band and cloth work well to keep bugs away

Find some of my favorite fermentation supplies at my influencer store if you’re looking for inspiration.

WHERE TO STORE SUPPLIES

When it comes to a storage location, you want to make sure your ferments are in an area where they can evolve efficiently. You’ll want to keep your ferments in an area away from light, free from temperature fluctuation, and UV rays that can alter your food.

“How do I know if oxygen is in my crock? What are some signs of bad set-up?”

If it looks off, it probably is. Signs of a ferment gone wrong include:

Brown cabbage

Yeasty odor

Slime

Mold

VIDEO ON THE BEST CROCKS

I get asked a ton of questions about what kinds of crocks to use and how to avoid mold, so I made a video.

This mini-tutorial explains my personal fermenting methods, shows off some of the most popular varieties of crocks, and lets you in on one of my favorite choices for making the best homemade probiotics with fermented veggies. Check it out!

Watch this mini-lesson to learn more about the following:

Something you have in your recycling bin that you can use right now

Airlock vs. traditional style crocks and jars

Size—does it matter?

Where to score giant crocks and the dangerous kind to avoid

Which weights to use

And my personal favorite system!

FERMENTING AT HOME TAKE-AWAYS

The process of fermenting may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s actually quite simple once you get the hang of things. Also, it’s worth noting that homemade ferments generally have more than eight times the amount of probiotics as an entire bottle of store-bought supplements!

Now that you know how to begin safely fermenting at home, if you’re interested in learning how to make the most healing ferments on the planet, I’d love to help you.

Some of the links I share in this post are affiliate links. If you use these links to complete a purchase I will earn a small commission. I use these companies and their products myself because of their quality. I definitely would not recommend the use of any products or services that I wouldn’t pay for myself or that I wouldn’t recommend to my closest friends and family. As always, the choice is yours on whether to buy using my special link.

Comments

comments

Top Recommended Fermented Food for Healing the Gut - Get the eBooklet mailed straight to your inbox!

First Name *

Email *

Click on the squares below to learn more about the programs and products: